STUNNING NEW SHOWROOM HELPS PEOPLE CREATE THEIR DREAM HOME

UDesign’s new showroom is a combination of showroom, interactive interior design space and informal meeting place for clients and design professionals. Architects, designers and project managers are on hand to offer their knowledge and creativity as needed and requested. Their task goes way beyond simply showcasing products and materials.

According to UDesign, the raison d’être of this showroom is firmly based on good design and how best to make it work for the client. However, what appears to be wonderful in a showroom might not be so wonderful at home, and this is where specialist knowledge comes in.

“Buying a beautiful sofa is easy but buying one that really works in the space one has available is not so easy. It may be too big or too small. It may be upholstered in a material you love, but your dog may love it too. Perhaps a more user-friendly material, which can be taken off and washed occasionally, would suit you better, and UDesign will advise you on that.”

This is the age-old compromise between function and aesthetics, notes UDesign, and it is often difficult for a client to be conscious of all the practicalities all the time. “In the new showroom, every aspect of a purchase decision is thought about very carefully by all concerned, the task made some- what easier by the overall layout of the products on show: a dozen or so very different zones designed to demonstrate distinctive ideas and styles. Each zone showcases how furniture placement, materials and colours can blend to create a specific mood or style.”

The UDesign team first analyse the space people have in their homes to create what they call a special plan, which is something akin to a personal shopper service. “Think of it as you would when being fitted for a Saville Row suit,” explains Jason Harris, UDesign creative director and CEO. “Fitted is the key word, because you are not buying it off the rack. What you think you want and what looks good on you are not necessarily the same thing. It’s similar with a house.”

Design can make the complicated look simple, and the new showroom is a space where UDesign can show people what is likely to work in real terms rather than on a computer screen. Not just to fill a space, but to suit that space. This is not just about material and style, it’s about size and scale and positioning – all fundamental to the creation of beautiful spaces. Lighting is an area that also requires professional skills to get right, because most of us do not spend hours of our time thinking about it and analysing all the options available. UDesign do. They consider all aspects of illumination – direct lighting, ambient lighting, low lights, bright lights and technical advances that the client did not even know existed.

“What lighting you use and how you use it is subject to everything else in the room, quite apart from its architecture and overall design,” says Jason.

The client may not know what they want, and here the showroom itself comes into its own. All these zones show different designs, all beautiful and all different, ranging from conservative to eclectic to moody to minimalist. Each zone has been designed to create an entity that says something, to help people identify how they really feel about a room that they can relate to and identify with, according to their personal taste.

“We get a feel for what people really like from the showroom, and what they don’t like, and with that knowledge we can help them to create a style that’s unique to them and their lifestyle,” says Jason.

The showroom is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm. Currently, only the downstairs area is open, showcasing 13 different zones and 13 different interior design styles. Due to open soon, the upstairs area will be for finishes, materials, tiles, bathrooms and kitchens. In total the showroom space, architecture studio and workshop cover 3,500 square metres. There are renowned pieces of iconic furniture everywhere, with the Edra “Boa” sofa being the centrepiece.

“We want to encourage people to visit the showroom to discover the treasures inside,” says Jason. “However, if people are not lucky enough to be in Marbella, we have just launched a very creative video that shows how impressive the space is.”

Pol. Ind. San Pedro Alcántara, on the corner of C/ Luxemburgo and C/ Turquía, Local 4, San Pedro Alcántara (Marbella)

Tel. (+34) 952 794 117 info@udesign.es www.udesign.es